Newly Released 10-Minute Play for 2 Actors: Waiting For Wind by Tara Meddaugh

Two tulips’ lives change for the better when they meet each other at high sun. They have a connection and it is clear they were meant for each other. Yet can they overcome their fears about the future, and lift each other up, despite the stagnant air? (CLICK HERE FOR THE PLAY)

Waiting for Wind is a 2-person dramatic/comedic play with a running time of approximately 10 minutes. It’s set in a flower garden and has flexible inclusive/blind casting (the characters are flowers!). It’s great for festivals, performances, outdoor theater, duo interpretation forensics competitions, classroom or theater study, workshops, and themed productions.

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Jumping the Wind by Tara Meddaugh: 10-minute play for outdoor theater

Have you ever seen a play about pollen before? I’m not talking documentary-style. I’m talking about pieces of individual pollen, with their own hopes, dreams and fears. In my allegory, Jumping the Wind, you meet two pieces of pollen, Pollen V-6 and Pollen K-10. The flower on which Pollen V-6 and Pollen K-10 have lived their entire lives has wilted and is dying. If they do not make a dangerous jump to a fresh flower, Cat will destroy the flower and any remaining pollen that night. All other pollen have already made the jump to presumed safety, but Pollen V-6 has been too frightened to leave. She doubts the tales that anything better lies beyond. The leader, Pollen K-10, has remained behind with her, and has to decide how long he will stay to rally her before his own safety is in jeopardy. Jumping the Wind is a story of leaving the familiar, taking risks for the promise of something better. It’s the story of facts versus hope. And a story of friendship and trust.

Here are seven (7) reasons why Jumping the Wind is a memorable (and practical!) play to produce:

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10-minute dramatic monologue play: Marsopa's Tale by Tara Meddaugh

Mermaids are the subject of many tales and legends around the world. In my 10-minute one-person play, Marsopa’s Tale, Marsopa, a mermaid herself, confronts the myths surrounding mermaids, as she makes a choice to be more than simply folklore.

Marsopa is the lone mermaid of her sea, but enjoys the company of her best friend and water-sister, a dolphin named Stone. But when Stone considers starting her own family, Marsopa faces the idea of being truly alone. That is - until she makes eyes with an intriguing fisherman... Now Marsopa must call into question the truth of mermaid and human legends, and decide what she is willing to risk for the possibility of creating her own fate.

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New dark comedy/Dramatic monologue: "What My Fangs Are For" by Tara Meddaugh

My new monologue, What My Fangs Are For, is the story of a werewolf child telling his mom about his first squirrel kill; it’s darkly humorous, a bit creepy, a bit dramatic. But…it’s also the story of a boy discovering a new identity, trying to make his mother proud, then worrying, with horror, that his new identity may drive her to not love him anymore.

Maybe the whole “eating a raw squirrel” part is not so relatable, but Sammy is not the only child (or adult) to have to reveal a part of their identity which they worry a loved one may not accept.

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New 10-minute dark comedy, absurdist thriller (perfect for Halloween & outdoor theater): When Marshmallows Burn by Tara Meddaugh

If you are looking for some Halloween theater, perfectly designed for outdoor staging, check out my new play, When Marshmallows Burn:

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Sammy and his mom are enjoying roasting marshmallows by the fire when something very strange starts to happen. Sammy’s arms look a little bit different. His teeth look a little bit different. He has a sudden urge to kill squirrels. What else will he have an urge to kill? Is there anything his mother can do to stop him? And will his mother be able to accept his new identity?

This is a dark comedy, absurdist thriller for 2 actors (1 female, 1 male or 2 female - one role is gender neutral). It’s funny; how often does someone ask, “Can I eat that squirrel over there? You don’t have to cook it. I promise I’ll like it raw.” It’s dark; um...see squirrel line above! There is growing dread at the gravity of the situation, a full moon, suspense, blood. Yet ultimately, it is a story about discovering a new identity, and searching for, or giving, acceptance and love.

It’s an exciting piece to produce any time of year, but especially during this spooky, eerie, Halloween season—this play will fit right into a creepy lineup of shows. What’s also really cool is that this play takes place outside. Around a campfire. So if you’re looking for a socially distanced, outdoor theater experience, this is about as perfectly set up as they come! If you’re interested in performing, make sure to fill out the royalty request form and send it to me.

CLICK HERE for an excerpt to the play, When Marshmallows Burn.
CLICK BELOW for the complete digital download to the dark comedy, When Marshmallows Burn.

New Full Length Play: The Victory Garden Plays by Tara Meddaugh

How many of you decided that Pandemic 2020 would be the year you started your own edible garden? Whether it was in a luscious back yard, an upper story deck, or a window sill (friends and I started seeing how many vegetables we could grow in water jars from mere root cuts!), people all over seemed to be growing vegetation to eat like no other time in the 21st Century. In March, many of us found flour, bread and toilet paper impossible to purchase and there was a panic as we contemplated our food supply chain breaking. Growing our own produce seemed to offer stability, predictability, a tiny sense of control and perhaps even purpose during our unsettling time staying at home. (click below for continued post or click here for The Victory Garden Plays)

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New dark comedy/absurdist 10-minute play: What's Inside The Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug by Tara Meddaugh

It’s Rebecca’s and Henry’s 10th wedding anniversary. Henry usually has his morning coffee at precisely half past seven, but today, Rebecca can’t wait this long for him to take his coffee mug from the cupboard. She has a secret to reveal to him. And it’s not your typical surprise anniversary gift. It’s a very… unnerving secret… And what Henry finds inside his souvenir coffee mug this morning just might change their marriage forever.

What’s Inside the Eiffel Tower Coffee Mug is a 2-person (1 male, 1 female) 10-minute play that embodies “dark comedy.” We can laugh at absurdities of the couple’s playful interaction of heightened language, but feel a punch to the gut as we discover the darkness that underlies the humor. This play has been described as embracing beauty and the grotesque in one, or finding beauty within the grotesque. It’s a unique journey to act and direct. It will give your audience the chance to laugh, cringe, empathize and ultimately find a sense of peace….

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A Reading of New Plays by Tara Meddaugh: Free Virtual Theater August 7

What are you doing this Friday? Wanna join me for some virtual theater and conversation?

It is not often I can invite you to a performance of my work which is open for all to see, from whatever part of the globe you call home. So I'm happy to share that Tagragg Productions is presenting an evening of four of my 10-minute plays, complete with a short discussion following each piece (we can chat!). The show is FREE and will be performed live via Zoom, 7pm Eastern Time, August 7.

To attend the performances, click the Zoom link here.

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New 10-minute rom-com/dramatic play for Zoom: A Human Body to Hug by Tara Meddaugh

If you’re looking for a 2-person play to perform, or practice, which is specifically designed for Zoom or other video platforms, check out my new play, A Human Body to Hug:

Dana and Cody are on a blind date. On Zoom. During a pandemic. Despite the awkwardness, they strive to find a connection during a very isolating time. And...well, someone has to clean up cat pee...

This 10-minute rom-com-dram play is written especially for video streaming, so there are no production questions you need to ask, like "should we read that stage direction?" or "how do we act out that fall?" Your audience can step into Cody's and Dana's private world for a moment--backgrounds, chats, cats on laps and all…

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The Beanstalk Monologue: Featured on Unknown Playwrights Monologue Monday

Twisting up a classic tale from a new angle is a never-ending well, and I love it as much as the next fairy-tale-raised dramatist or thespian! So here is my monologue, The Beanstalk, edited from the 10-minute play of the same name, The Beanstalk, featured on Unknown Playwrights Monologue Monday series. This monologue has been dissected for years, being one of my earlier pieces, and I’ve loved seeing teachers and students analyze this, and the various unique performances and interpretations of the piece. From Monologue Mondays:

Meddaugh’s monologue is like a snapshot of Jack when he first tries to climb the beanstalk and dude is scared. He talks to a crow for comfort and what follows is a character-rich psychological study of fear with a bit of humor…Any way you cut it, Meddaugh’s monologue is a fresh take on a millennia-old story with a lot of physicality. Let’s see what our brave acting heroes have accomplished…

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Finding the Right 5-Minute and 10-Minute Monologues

Have you been looking for a great 5-minute monologue or 10-minute monologue?

30 second to 2 minute monologues are ideal for auditions, videos, reels and showcases and I have many unique and memorable comedic and dramatic monologues of that length. But you might be looking for something longer and having difficulty finding the perfect fit (check out benefits to learning a monologue of this length). While there is a lot of room for me to create more monologues of this length (And I will! New Year’s Goal!), since I am asked for this length frequently, I’ve compiled some of my 3-10 minute monologues below.

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5 Benefits of Learning a 5 to 10 Minute Monologue

So you’re interested in learning a 5-minute to 10-minute monologue! Great! Shorter monologues are perfect for many things, such as auditions, showcases, reels, videos, and you can find monologues of that length here: comedic monologues and dramatic monologues. But if you’re considering learning a longer monologue, check out my 3-10 minute monologues here. And peruse some of the benefits to learning a monologue of this length below!

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Weird or Creepy Plays for Halloween

If you’re looking for some plays with a thrilling, weird, scary or eerie nature, just in time for Halloween, check out my list of 6 GREAT PLAYS FOR HALLOWEEN! From a domineering talking bingo chip to an apartment enveloped in human hair to a line of diamonds which seems rather painful—these dark comedies, dramas and thrillers give you a fun dramatic ride!

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New 10-minute dark comedy play for 2 actors: Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest

If you like dark comedies (cringe and laugh, laugh and cringe—then pause to think seriously for a minute…), check out my new 10-minute play, Alfred and Lily and Their Marvelous Tank in the Forest. Yes, it has two frogs in it who jump around, chew on sticks, and get jealous of pond creatures with purple scarves—but this allegory doesn’t only provide fun entertainment; it’s thought provoking and generates great discussion. Does a horror have to affect you personally for you to notice something is wrong? How long will you accept happy lies until you’re willing to see what is in front of you? How can two individuals have such contrasting views of reality?…

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New comedic monologue for women: Freshly Squeezed

If you’re looking for a free, new (let’s say, um, “fresh”) comedic monologue for a female actor, check out Freshly Squeezed below. It’s a 1940s version of a someone who might sound a little stuck on herself, hence the comedy as she compares her “noble” qualities to the “poor” girls around her. But if you read the entire 10-minute piece from which it comes, Ruth and Harry & The Dinner Party, you see Ruth reveals a huge insecurity about her inability to become a mother, and strength despite society’s pressure, and her character takes on a much deeper note. This monologue runs about 1.5 minutes.

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Great Plays for Halloween

If you’re looking for an eerie, creepy or thriller play in the spirit of Halloween, check out these plays that just might give you a chill or two! From the witch in that gingerbread house, to a mysterious heart, a domineering bingo chip, a lust for human hair—and more—enjoy these uniquely dark (and sometimes comedic) plays by Tara Meddaugh…

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Consider My Monologues and 10-minute Plays for Your Competition

'Tis the season for competitions of all sorts! I've been getting a lot of emails about Forensics Competitions, Acting Tournaments, Speech Days, Thespians Festivals and more. If your competition requires a 10-minute play or a monologue, consider my repertoire for a memorable piece that is fun to perform...

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